The usage of online databases have been a great improvement on the efficiency of researching. While online databases make researching things much simpler and gets rid of much of the hassle that physically searching creates, using such tools exclusively can prove to be an immense disadvantage. In multiple areas, reliance on online databases has proved to be somewhat of a hindrance. It is very likely that if any detail in an article on online databases is wrong, the general populace using that will be using incorrect information. While the general populace will not look far into the validity of the information, scholars will in order to be absolutely certain that the information they cite is correct. In addition to having to worry about online research being correct, there is also the issue of not having the online data available at all. A different form of the issue of reliance involves using social media as a form of research/database, settling for a medium that can be rather unreliable and sometimes even horribly inaccurate.
Using online research and databases so often will undoubtedly cause someone to be so reliant that they have a sort of “blind faith” in the accuracy and validity of an article in an online database that they frequently use. One specific example of how this can easily be observed is the widely-used online encyclopedia, aptly named, Wikipedia. Wikipedia is well-known for being one of, if not, the most readily accessible online database with its welcome message being, “Welcome to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.” Immediately, the main issue can be identified with the end-part of the welcome message, “… anyone can edit.” The ability to edit content freely and at will is unnerving because research is not reliable using Wikipedia as a source. As a website for research, Wikipedia is not ideal due to the fact that it can be freely edited by quite literally anyone.
Adding on to relying on databases, Randy Foreman, student instructional services librarian at Thomas M. Cooley Law School, has stated that, “… I have increasingly heard students say, ‘We don’t need books! It’s all online. Why are they wasting our time?’” and counters this point by saying that, in this specific case involving law cases, “the online cases just might go missing.” On the Michigan Bar Journal, Foreman states, “Online data can disappear and users will never know.” To add on to this, he also states, “The exclusive reliance on online resources is extra risky now because of the potential for database errors in addition to human error.”
A recent article found in The Guardian, published in 2010, has stated that a US survey revealed that an overwhelming majority of reporters and editors use social media sources for researching their stories as 56% say social media is important for reporting and producing the stories they wrote. However, with 84% most journalists use information delivered via social media rather cautious as they think it is less reliable than information delivered via traditional media. The article also goes on to state that according to the research, journalists are using Google with 61% using Wikipedia. Although these journalists use social media as online research, they have “expressed concerns about a lack of fact-checking or reporting-standards.”
To add on to the argument of over-reliance the Complementary Value of Databases For Discovery of Scholarly Literature: A User Survey Of Online Searching For Publications In Art History states that the “discovery of academic literature through Web search engines challenges the traditional role of specialized research databases. Creation of literature outside academic presses and peer-reviewed publications expands the content for scholarly research within a particular field. The resulting body of literature raises the question of whether scholars prefer the perceived broader access of Web search engines or opt for the precision of field-specific research databases. Surveys of art historians indicate a complementary use of online search tools with a reliance on field-specific research databases to discover authoritative content. Active use of Web search engines and initiatives for open access suggest that research databases will integrate into an evolving Web-based infrastructure that supports discovery and access of scholarly literature.”
The reliance of using online databases has made the general populace too dependent on the efficiency of online researching. Due to this, there are many hindrances that come with the usages of online databases for research. Some examples are the possibilities of using incorrect information that is posted on a database, not having the data available to access at all, and using a completely unreliable medium like social media as a source for online research. Over time however, using online databases for research will become the standard for doing research due to the efficiency and accessibility. Ideally, these issues addressed will become something of the past and may one day be improved upon and databases will have much more data, readily available and highly accurate. That day however, has yet to come.
Works Cited
Foreman, Randy. “The Risk of Exclusive Reliance on Online Research.” Michigan Bar Journal (January 2013) 52-53. PDF file.
“Most journalists use social media such as Twitter and Facebook as a source.” Guardian.com. (February 15, 2010 Monday ): 399 words. LexisNexis Academic. Web. Date Accessed: 2015/12/08.
Nemeth, Erik. “Complementary Value Of Databases For Discovery Of Scholarly Literature: A User Survey Of Online Searching For Publications In Art History.” College & Research Libraries 71.3 (2010): 223-235. Academic Search Complete. Web. 8 Dec. 2015.
